Valorisation of Industrial side-streams for Bioproduction of Rare and vAluable Natural Terpenoids (Carotenoids): Acronym VIBRANT

Project partners: Royal Holloway University of London & AlgaeCytes

Project focus area: Waste recycling

Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) is a high‑value omega‑3 fatty acid known for its significant health benefits, including supporting cardiovascular health and reducing inflammation, as well as contributing to healthy ageing and cognitive function. The UK SME AlgaeCytes has developed an innovative and sustainable method to produce EPA from algae. During this process, a side‑stream is generated that potentially contains valuable natural compounds, particularly carotenoids such as beta‑carotene, and potentially other terpenoids.

The VIBRANT project was directed towards unlock the untapped potential of this side‑stream by exploring new routes for valorisation. The project has:

1. Used advanced metabolite profiling to identify high‑value compounds within the material.
2. Apply preparative column chromatography to selectively enrich beta‑carotene.
3. Evaluate biocatalytic transformation using engineered enzymes to create novel or enhanced valuable products.
4. Assess the commercial and market opportunities for these compounds.

This collaboration brings together the expertise of Royal Holloway, University of London in carotenoid chemistry with the commercial capabilities of its enterprise NATCOM, a supplier of analytical reference standards and AlgaeCytes, supplying the algal material. Analytical manufacturers have provided in‑kind access to purification technologies.

For more information

For more information on this project, contact us, or view all Engineering Biology SPARK Award winners.

This project funding is part of the Engineering Biology Innovation Network, led by Innovate UK Business Connect in collaboration with Innovate UK and UKRI’s Technology Mission Fund. The network’s goal is to progress innovations, create a commercially focused community and foster new consortia to advance innovations towards commercial applications.